The Cartographers’ Guild is a forum created by and for map makers and aficionados, a place where every aspect of cartography can be admired, examined, learned, and discussed. Our membership consists of professional designers and artists, hobbyists, and amateurs—all are welcome to join and participate in the quest for cartographic skill and knowledge.

Although we specialize in maps of fictional realms, as commonly used in both novels and games (both tabletop and role-playing), many Guild members are also proficient in historical and contemporary maps. Likewise, we specialize in computer-assisted cartography (such as with GIMP, Adobe apps, Campaign Cartographer, Dundjinni, etc.), although many members here also have interest in maps drafted by hand.

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Tabletop/RPGer with artistic streak

Hi Folks,

I'm an avid RPGer, playing mainly RuneQuest / Gloranthan 3rd age. I also adore Call of Cthulhu, although we currently have no player group. I love good board games, strategy games, and wargames. I have been playing for 30 years now, and among my all time favourites are Magic Realm, ASL, Kingmaker and RuneQuest (since version 2)

I've been GMing RuneQuest a lot, somehow in our player groups that job always ended up with me. I have been making player aids by hand for years. Originally, back in the age when a PC was an ugly useless thing made by IBM and nobody had money enough to purchase an Apple and a printer, I used to write and draw my entire scenario by hand, in longhand. I still have a few of those lying around, all written in blue/red marker and pencil. These things look very amateuristic now, but they served us very well back in the last century.

I did evolve somehow, preparing scenario's in a more organized fashion as time went by. I am an avid member of Gnome Stew, and I am always looking to improve my GM skills.

Nowadays, I mainly draw maps with pen & ink, either colouring with aquarel pencils or using Photoshop. I have purchased Campaign Cartographer 3 about a year ago, and although I was not very impressed with it at the beginning, I have come to see and appreciate its strong points more and more. I like the speed and ease of creating a map, once you get the hang of the interface. But when I really want something precise, purdy and neat, it's time to get out those calligraphic pens and the silky paper. Always gets me in a good mood.

As you might have noticed, I am rather long winded, but I promise I'll try moderation

Welcome!

Welcome to the Guild!

Though the majority here are digital only created maps, there is a strong core of hand-drawn mapper, including myself, though I do both styles. The only Runequest I've ever played is the first version, back in the mid 80's.

There are a few hand-drawn only tutorials, but if you're using Photoshop in addition to traditional methods of coloring, explore the tutorials section. While I too have CC3, and don't use it much, there are CC3 users here that create maps that others assume were entirely created in Photoshop or GIMP as they distinctly look more artistic/hand-drawn than CAD created. Its worth looking at stuff by Gandwarf and others.

You're in good company, show us what you've got - even those crude older maps you claim lack artistry, yet are still functional.

Thanks for the welcome. I admit I am old and crusty, but I eat without making a mess most of the time

Meanwhile I have been looking around the site a bit, and I quickly understood that there are some very talented mapmakers on here. So much so, that I'm not sure I want to expose my stuff right away, it's simply not in the same league, and there are obvious flaws in them, that I'd rather not have pointed out

Instead, I'm gonna get inspired by what I am seeing, and up my game a little bit before I'm gonna publish anything on here.

That having been said, exactly what is the best way to upload maps here? Do I put them on the web on link to them? Or can I upload them here?

Here's a map drawn by hand in marker, then coloured up in Photoshop 6. No text, players get a sepia version that they have to fill in with info themselves. I have a version filled with text and numbers pointing to a large index (i'm the kind of GM that has someone living in every single house) but that's just plain oogly.